Gloves are frequently used for a variety of reasons, such as, outdoor recreation, as protective wear in health care, commercial food handling or industry and for doing household chores such as dish washing. Moisture released by the skin of the user's hand wets the inside of the glove, making it slippery and unpleasant to wear. Moisture collecting on the inside of the glove can result in growing harmful microorganisms on the inside surface of the glove, which could lead to skin infections. Users of gloves which are not permeable to moisture vapor, such as, for example, rubber or plastic gloves find that they frequently need to change to dry gloves in order to avoid the unpleasant feeling of a wet glove.
The problems described above are well known in the art and various devices and methods have been designed by others attempting to solve these problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,717 (Dofka, 1995) discloses a drying rack for utility gloves including hollow telescoping tubes with adjustment holes and spread ring discs. Pylons situated on the basis of a drain basin serve as bases for the telescoping tubes. The spread ring discs spread open the inside of gloves. U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,188 (Franz, 1993) discloses a method and apparatus for drying footwear and handwear including a blower assembly which directs heated or ambient air into a glove placed on a handwear holder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,565 (Willenbacher, Jr. 1992) discloses a glove drying apparatus including a hollow wire mesh form configured as a human hand. Drying air can be directed into the form through air conduits.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,913 (Wallin et al, 1980) discloses a method and device for drying gloves including a perforated glove form shaped to resemble a human hand. A means is provided to direct a flow of heated air into the perforated form. U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,733 (Perlmutter, 1978) discloses a glove form for drying and shaping gloves consisting of a unitary thin sheet plastic element having springiness. The form is ribbed or scalloped longitudinally. U.S. Pat. No. 2,035,094 (Palicki, 1935) discloses a work glove form. The form is hollow and is provided with a plurality of perforations.
Known glove drying devices and methods, as exemplified by the above referenced patents, do not provide an optimal design for the drying of the inside surfaces of gloves. For example, prior art devices which direct ambient or heated air into a glove form generally have no provision for circulating the air through the inside of the form such that the air is removed from the form. Also, mechanical devices which are used to direct air into a form tend to be bulky and noisy when in use. Prior art hollow drying forms having a plurality of perforations offer a drying surface only at the perforations, while the areas of the glove surface which remain in direct contact with the surface of the solid form are not exposed to air and are thus likely to dry only at a very slow rate or not at all.
Wire mesh forms typically provide a greater drying surface than hollow perforated forms. Wire mesh forms however are prone to oxidation under repeated high humidity conditions, generally they are more easily damaged than hollow perforated forms. Also, wire mesh forms when damaged may have one or more sharp points from broken wires which can puncture a glove which is dried on the form.
Accordingly, the need exist for improved glove drying devices and methods to more effectively dry the inside of gloves.